Tetrasodium (1-hydroxyethylidene)bisphosphonate

Biodegradation in water: screening tests

Link to relevant study record(s)

Reference

Endpoint:

biodegradation in water: ready biodegradability

Type of information:

migrated information: read-across based on grouping of substances (category approach)

Adequacy of study:

key study

Reliability:

1 (reliable without restriction)

Rationale for reliability incl. deficiencies:

comparable to guideline study

Remarks:

Study was conducted in accordance with recognized scientific methods and procedures. The study meets national and international scientific methods and provides sufficient information to support the conclusion.

Qualifier:

equivalent or similar to guideline

Guideline:

ISO 5815 (Water quality - Determination of Biochemical Oxygen Demand after 5 Days (BOD5) - Dilution and Seeding Method)

GLP compliance:

yes (incl. QA statement)

Remarks:

GLP for COD method: yes

Oxygen conditions:

aerobic

Inoculum or test system:

activated sludge, domestic, non-adapted

Details on inoculum:

Inoculum: Sewage works final effluent, Severn Trent Water Plc., Belper sewage treatment works, Belper, Derbyshire.  Date of collection 2 April 1992. The sample was allowed to settle for 30 minutes and the supernatant withdrawn for test.

Duration of test (contact time):

5 d

Initial conc.:

120 mg/L

Based on:

other: Test substance

Parameter followed for biodegradation estimation:

O2 consumption

Details on study design:

BOD bottles were filled by siphon and firmly stoppered to exclude all air bubbles. Sufficient bottles were prepared to allow a single oxygen determination per bottle to be made at day 0 and day 5 for each test medium (duplicate bottles at each sampling time). Bottles were incubated in a water bath at 20 degrees C for 5 days. 

Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) was determined using a semi-micro sample digestion (Hach) technique. Reaction vials containing premeasured amounts of sulfuric acid, potassium dichromate, silver catalyst plus 2 ml water sample were heated at 150 degrees C for 2 hours and the COD values read from a Hach DR/2000 Direct Reading Spectrophotometer.

Reference substance:

other: glucose/glutamic acid (1:49)

Remarks on result:

other: refer to BOD results

Parameter:

BOD5

Value:

15.1 other: mg/L

Parameter:

COD

Value:

66 other: mg O2 per litre, for the 60% aqueous solution.

Parameter:

BOD5*100/COD

Value:

22.9 other: %

Results with reference substance:

BOD5 240.1 mg O2/L (at nominal test concentration 105 mg/L)

Validity criteria fulfilled:

yes

Remarks:

DOC variation in the blank fulfilled the requirements

Interpretation of results:

other: Not readily biodegradable

Conclusions:

It was determined in a reliable BOD5 study conducted in compliance with GLP that HEDP is not readily biodegradable.

Description of key information

The substance is not readily biodegradable, based on the results of the BOD5 test.

Key value for chemical safety assessment

Biodegradation in water:

under test conditions no biodegradation observed

Additional information

The ready biodegradability study using HEDP acid was selected as the key study (Handley & Mead, 1992). This study followed the 5 day Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD5) method (similar to OECD 301). The study is considered to be a reliable study to demonstrate that the substance is not readily biodegradable.

A number of supporting studies are available for the acid form and for the sodium salt of HEDP associated with WWTP simulation, aerobic and anaerobic studies using radiolabelling etc. All of the available evidence supports a lack of biodegradability even where pre-adapted inoculum is used, though in some cases removal from the system by adsorption processes has occurred.